I am going to need a HUGE yard

What the hell makes you think that I think I am higher up? I am stating a point. You are bluntly argueing that point. I am not rich, I am not a saint. I struggle day to day. I understand there are some circumstances that where the person can not keep their dog. Why do I have to repeat myself? You are doing nothing more now than trying to insult me. Have you read my intire post on why it is not okay to give a dog away?  ( labs, animal testing)
 
Have you called some ads from pet finder to find out why those poor dogs need homes? I'm sure you have not, you would rather sit here and argue with me that people are good and loving and would never dump their pets without good reason.
 
I do not believe I am being ignorant at all. I do belive you are, very much so. And  a few other things as well.  Do your research and get back to me. I will gladly take back everything i have said if all those pets are there for good reasons.

ORIGINAL: mydogishalfgazelle

You may not know the people personally, but some people are actually pretty good judges of character.

 
No, people are NOT good judges of character, especially when they are desperate to give away their pets.  Check out this link:  (very graphic descriptions warning)[linkhttp://www.petfbi.org/issuerahrig.htm]http://www.petfbi.org/issuerahrig.htm[/link]
 
This guy was answering "free to a good home" pet ads, and then torturing the animals for weeks after he got them.  Laboratories have people that are especially good at duping people into giving them pets, so do puppy mills, so do dog fighters in search of "bait" dogs. 
 
While it's true that lives change and evolve, I already have a plan, should I be unable to care for my dogs and cat, for what happens to them.  Xerxes will go to his breeder, Gaia to another breeder and good friend of mine and the cat goes back to her original owner.  All parties have agreed to this.  There's NO excuse for not having a plan if something should arise. 
 
Alot of allergy symptoms can be alleviated with proper care of the animal: proper diet, brushing and bathing.  Alot of unpleasant behaviors can be alleviated with training.  I have no sympathy or empathy for people that will turn over, give away, abandon their dog.  My dogs are as much a part of my family as the humans in my family...and my mother, father, sisters, aunts, uncles and friends know this.  I won't casually throw them out because my life has changed, just as I wouldn't throw out a kid because, gosh, he's eating too much and growing too big for the bed I bought him.

Angel:  I'm with you...I don't care how tiny my actual house is...as long as I have a big yard.  My dog loving friends and I are even considering buying one large property and building a few small houses on it...with the center of the "development" being a communal but private dog park.

You are exactly right and said everything I was trying to get across. 

That is what we are looking for is property. Any house can be fixed up, we just want the land.  Don't want neighbors too close to complain either.

In interest of interjecting a little levity:
 
I think we should be able to take our kids to the shelter when they get too big, too expensive or, my personal favorite, TOO MOUTHY.

Good gravy this thread went to hell-o in a handbasket fast. [:@]
 
I happen to be an excellent judge of character.  I was a breeder for a number of years, and have fostered too many times.  Last year I placed a foster pup with folks who had already been cleared by the rescue...I got the final word....so these folks fooled the rescue AND me.  Two months later he was back and we are still dealing with the problems they caused him.  And just ask a couple of the idoggers who have gotten "my" pups how particular I am about where they go.
 
My life has changed MANY times.  My DH is in radio, which is the civilian equivelent of being in the military...except we don't always have a for sure place to go or a for sure job to go to.....stuff happens, yep.  And we always find a way to make sure our dogs AND cats go where we go.  Without pets we would need far less space inside and out and could have a house for about half of what we pay per month now.  Oh well.  Ain't gonna happen.  They are members of the family and when I brought them home, I made a lifetime commitment to them, and I take my promises seriously.  This summer alone I dealt with a critically ill Mother, a close to death nephew AND some serious health issues with my DH.  Not one animal got the boot because of it.
 
Today on freecycle I saw a post for a free cat and THREE free dogs.  I called the phone number.....they are giving up ALL the animals because they want to have a baby someday soon.  She isn't even pregnant yet.  So yeah, if that's not irresponsible I'd like to know what the heck is.  A chow and 2 shar peis.  Good luck with that.
 
Angel started this thread with her hope for the future....to be able to save some of these dogs who are being thrown away.  And you've tried to turn it into what a meanie she is?  That's really not fair.  Angel is likely the least judgemental person on this forum.

Yes, I am going to give mine away. The animals don't talk back, and I think Sara is alergic to the little one. I'm sure they'll find good homes.

My dog loving friends and I are even considering buying one large property and building a few small houses on it...with the center of the "development" being a communal but private dog park.

 
That is such a great idea! How fun.
 
I, also, consider my pets a part of my family. If something comes up where I am not able to care for them, they will go to my parents. If that wasn't possible, I would contact rescue groups to ensure that they are placed with families that will take care of them. And the only reason that they would not be with me is if I am dead or severely injured.
 
I know things come up where people can no longer take are of their animals. But they made a commitment and it's important that people be responsible for their actions. Many people think that animals are disposable and they can get rid of them if it's not convenient.
 
At the shelter yesterday a man was trying to turn in a dog who he adopted two months ago because he "just didn't feel like taking care of him anymore." He flipped out when they told him it would be $45 to turn in the dog. Now I guarantee that guy is either going to dump the dog somewhere or give it away for free in the paper. And the dog will probably be better off in either situation, but that doesn't make it right.
 
Again I have to say, Angel's intentions are wonderful. So please don't attack her on a technicality. She just wants to help animals in need and make sure they have a safe place to be until they find their forever home.

ORIGINAL: angeltrudelle

What the hell makes you think that I think I am higher up? I am stating a point. You are bluntly argueing that point. I am not rich, I am not a saint. I struggle day to day. I understand there are some circumstances that where the person can not keep their dog. Why do I have to repeat myself? You are doing nothing more now than trying to insult me. Have you read my intire post on why it is not okay to give a dog away?  ( labs, animal testing)

Have you called some ads from pet finder to find out why those poor dogs need homes? I'm sure you have not, you would rather sit here and argue with me that people are good and loving and would never dump their pets without good reason.

I do not believe I am being ignorant at all. I do belive you are, very much so. And  a few other things as well.  Do your research and get back to me. I will gladly take back everything i have said if all those pets are there for good reasons.

I'm not saying everyone is good, I'm saying that generalizing is a bad thing.  I'm not a fan of people--if I were, I probably wouldn't be going into the field that I am.  However, I also know that I would much rather have someone who can't properly care for a dog give it up than make it suffer. 

Xerxes -- Yeah, people do that, but they also torture shelter dogs and purebreds.  For instance, someone I know adopted a dog FROM A SHELTER and the way he is with his dog exhibits high levels of both mental and emotional abuse toward the animal. 

And not everyone thinks that far ahead.  A CEO of a company isn't going to necessarily be thinking "Gee, what if I go bankrupt and my wife gets cancer at the same time?" when he's getting an animal.

Yeah, a lot of allergy symptoms can be alleviated, but not all. If you were a parent and your kid developed a severe, life threatening allergy (such as not breathing) and it were between putting my kids on medication that has risks associated with it and there were no other way, what would you do?

I'm not promoting abandoning animals; I'm just saying that not everyone is evil for needing to find a new home for their animals, and if they know they aren't capable of properly caring and providing for their animal, I think it's admirable that they try to find a new home for it.  Because believe it or not, you're not the only ones who care about your animals.  Other people in the world do too.

Thank you Glenda I really appriciate that.

ORIGINAL: lokis_mom

Again I have to say, Angel's intentions are wonderful. So please don't attack her on a technicality. She just wants to help animals in need and make sure they have a safe place to be until they find their forever home.

She may intend well, but honestly she flat out offended me.  I know people who have had to give up their animals.  A good friend of mine was an excellent pet parent and loved her dog very very much give up animals, but her parents found out something about her that they were upset about (her recently discovered sexual orientation) and kicked her and her dog out of the house.  No one in her family would/could take the dog, so she turned the dog in to a shelter.  Does this make her a horrible person, because she wanted the dog to live a better life than living out of a car with her?

She didn't plan on realizing she was gay, and she didn't think she'd be moving out sooner than she had money for because, you know, family is supposed to be there for you, right?  Not everything can be planned for.

Also, I know people who haven't given up animals who should because they don't have time and doesn't want to "give up" the animal--which is suffering in a crate for 23.5 hours every day (no exaggeration).  It was his fault for getting the dog to begin with, but in the end he'd be a better person if he gave it up.

I see no where that I have flat out offended you.
 
I'm sorry that happend to your friend. But like I have been saying, not everyone has a bad reason. There are just more bad reasons than good.  If you are living in a car, you can not take care of your own needs, so you can not care for an animal. But there are enough goverment services out there that no one should have to live in their car.
 
I too have neighbors that have 5 dogs they shouldn't have. Chained day and night, breeding eachother. Honestly if I could I would take the dogs and find them homes. Problem is I can't get near the place for fear of being bit in the butt.
 

I read nothing offensive in this post...quite the opposite actually. I congratulate you, I wish I could help out the way you are doing. Sometime in the next year we will be buying a house, and the one we are looking at has a HUGE yard and the house itself is very big. I plan to begin rescuing and fostering again.

But anyway, I agree with everything Angel said in her post. A responsible owner (IMO) does not give away their pet for free. Even if you must rehome them, an adoption fee must be charged. Why? because an add that says "Free Dog" will attract dog fighters, laboratories, irresponsible people etc. There is nothing wrong with rehoming an animal if and only IF you have done everything possible to keep the animal. Life isnt all rainbows and sometimes a person will find themselves in a situation where they possibly cannot keep their dog. (and moving, getting tired of it, too big, wont listen etc is NOT a good excuse)

There is a MASSIVE difference between surrendering a dog to a shelter, and putting a "free to good home" ad in the paper. 
 
Kate